1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

Transylvania University presidential inauguration events scheduled for April 27-29; installation ceremony, which is free and open to the public, set for Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The inauguration of R. Owen Williams as the 25th president of Transylvania University will be celebrated April 27-29, with the installation ceremony taking place Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m. on the lawn of historic Old Morrison. College and university presidents and representatives from across the country, as well as trustees, alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, elected officials and members of the Lexington community will be in attendance to honor Williams and the 231-year-old college.   “This is one of the highest honors of my life,” said Williams. “Transylvania is an extraordinary liberal arts college, and, as a historian, I am in awe of its rich history.” Williams, who became president on August 1, 2011, earned an A.B. in philosophy from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in intellectual history from Cambridge University, a master’s of law from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in history, specializing in nineteenth-century American history, from Yale University. Williams’s inaugural speech, which is free and open to the public, will be his first major address to the Lexington community. “A presidential inauguration is a fitting way in which to celebrate the heritage of the college,” said William F. Pollard, vice president and dean of the college and inauguration chair. “It honors past presidents and leaders who have helped shaped the university since its founding and marks the start of a new chapter in Transylvania’s distinguished history.” The inaugural symposium will be presented Thursday, April 28,

Transylvania University names Kirk Purdom vice president for advancement

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania President R. Owen Williams announced today that after an extensive national search, Kirk Purdom has been named vice president for advancement, effective April 18. Mark Blankenship, associate vice president for alumni affairs, has been serving as acting vice president for alumni and development.   Purdom comes to Transylvania from Kentucky Wesleyan College where he has served as vice president for advancement since July 2008. Prior to that, he was the director of development at Middle Tennessee State University. He has also served as the director of leadership giving for the University of Tennessee and the major gifts officer for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi. “We are delighted to have Kirk join our team at Transylvania,” said Williams. “He was our unanimous choice for this critically important position and we are confident that his experience and approach will help us achieve our goal to become one of the best liberal arts institutions in the nation.” Purdom will serve on the President’s Cabinet and be responsible for all areas of university advancement. Transylvania consistently ranks in the top 20 of the country’s liberal arts institutions in percentage of alumni giving and the university recently concluded its five-year 225th Anniversary Campaign, which raised $47.3 million. Among other responsibilities, Purdom will be in charge of the development and implementation of Transylvania’s next capital campaign and the generation of major and planned gifts. “I am really excited about

“An Evening of Song”: Transylvania’s Creative Intelligence Series brings University of Kentucky opera student Reginald Smith Jr. to campus Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m.; free and open to the public

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s new Creative Intelligence Series has so far brought to campus a behaviorist, a primatologist and a sociologist. On Wednesday, March 23,  University of Kentucky Opera Theatre student Reginald Smith Jr., will perform at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. This performance is free and open to the public. Earlier this year, Smith received the Best Stage Presence Award and Third Place in the Metropolitan Opera Mid-South Regional Auditions. In 2007, he was the undergraduate first-place winner of the Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition at UK and is currently a senior studying with Everett McCorvey in the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre program, pursuing a dual degree in vocal performance and vocal music education. Smith, a native of Atlanta, has been seen in performances of “Romeo et Juliette,” “The Magic Flute,” “Die Fledermaus,” “La Boheme,” “Mikado,” “River of Time” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” He has participated in summer music programs including The American Institute of Musical Studies Program in Graz, Austria, the Premiering Sydney Program in Sydney, Australia, the Intermezzo Young Artist Program and Seagle Music Colony. Transylvania’s Creative Intelligence Series celebrates the activities of people who are working at the leading edge of their fields. While the events tend to focus on the activities of younger scholars, artists and performers, they also bring to campus more established individuals whose work shows a high level of creativity. The name of the series

Former Poet Laureate of Kentucky, Richard Taylor, will give reading at Transylvania Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Former Poet Laureate of Kentucky and Kenan Visiting Writer at Transylvania University, Richard Taylor, will read from his work at Transy Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in the Carrick Theater of the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.   Taylor has won a variety of honors for his extensive publications in both poetry and prose and was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky in 1999. As director of Poetry in the Schools for the Kentucky Arts Commission, he served as poet-in-residence at a dozen public elementary and secondary schools across Kentucky. He also served as a professor of English at Kentucky State University for many years. Taylor earned a B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky in 1963, an M.A. in English from the University of Louisville in 1964, a J.D. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1967 and a Ph.D. in English from UK in 1974. His publications include Sue Mundy: A Novel of the Civil War in Kentucky, Rail Splitter (poems), Stone Eye (poems) and Girty (novel).   The lecture is sponsored by the Delcamp Visiting Writer series. For more information, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.

Transylvania publication receives regional award

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Transylvania University admissions viewbook received the Award of Excellence and was a Grand Award finalist in the student recruitment category of the 2011 Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District III awards competition. The award winners were selected from entries submitted by public and private colleges and independent schools in nine southeastern states. The viewbook provides a comprehensive introduction to Transylvania for prospective students. It was produced in-house by the university’s publications staff: Martha Baker, director; William Bowden, writer/editor; Barbara Grinnell, graphic designer; and Tyler Young, editorial assistant. “Our publications team consistently produces award-winning work,” said Sarah Emmons, Transylvania associate vice president of communications and public relations. “I’m delighted that the viewbook has once again been judged among the top in the region.” Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.